1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to a portable front projector screen assembly and specifically relates to a portable front projector screen assembly that may be stored in a small storage area and deploys in a manner to accommodate multiple aspect ratios.
2. Description of Related Art
Traditional portable projector screen assemblies are extremely bulky. For example, an 80″ screen (the 80″ measured diagonally at a 16:9 aspect ratio) requires utilization of a 70″ tube in order to store the projector screen and to transport the portable projector screen assembly. For many people, a 70″ tube is unwieldy. A main reason for the significant length (e.g., 70″) of the portable projector screen assembly is that traditional portable projector screen assemblies are based on a roller design that deploys the screen in either a top/down or bottom/up fashion. As a result, many retailers that sell projectors are unwilling to merchandise projector screens because of their large size. In addition, there are portable screen assemblies that utilize a mast to hang the screen. FIGS. 1-3 illustrate such projector screen assemblies.
A few portable projector screen assemblies deploy rollers horizontally, i.e., from side-to-side. Currently, the design is limited to smaller screen sizes and these portable projector screen assemblies are utilized most often in table-top display applications.
Furthermore, traditional portable projector screen assemblies are fixed to one aspect ratio. Historically, portable projector screen assemblies have been designed to accommodate square images for overhead projectors or to accommodate images with a 4:3 aspect ratio for business presentations. Recently, portable projector screens have been introduced with a 16:9 aspect ratio for widescreen movie viewing.
In addition, projector prices have steadily decreased, and projectors have become affordable to new customer segments such as small business owners and home entertainment enthusiasts. These customer segments often use a projector for dual purposes: 1) business presentations; and 2) widescreen movie viewing at home.
Accordingly, a need exists for a portable projector screen assembly that is not bulky and thus is easy to transport. Furthermore, the screen should be small enough that retailers can easily merchandise the portable projector screen assembly. A need also exists for a portable projector screen assembly that can accommodate multiple aspect ratios so that a business owner can display a business presentation at a 4:3 aspect ratio and then use the same portable projector screen assembly to project a wide screen movie at a 16:9 aspect ratio.